The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A multitude of applications exist for a container that dispenses a fluid in a smooth and controlled stream. For example, it is often advantageous to pour bleach into a detergent reservoir of a conventional laundry machine without the bleach splashing or creating a mess. A user desiring to manually pour bleach from a container into the reservoir must do so carefully, in a manner that allows air to enter the container to compensate for the vacuum created as the bleach is poured out. If the user pours the bleach too quickly, thereby blocking the container opening, air entering the container as discrete bubbles causes periodic interruptions followed by sudden increases in flow as each bubble passes through the container opening. This creates an undesirable “glugging” effect that may result in missed application, spillage, wasted product, and/or inconvenience to the user. In other solutions, a separate funnel is used to catch uneven fluid flowing out of a container. However, employing a separate and typically small device to aid pouring requires the user to locate and store the device, as well as clean the device before and after use. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus that conveniently and effectively delivers a steady and controlled stream of fluid without the use of a separate funnelling device.